Scarpetta Comeback 2/12/13
By: Scott Leber
Updated: February 12, 2013
Rockford, Illinois-As the saying goes if not for bad luck Cody Scarpetta would have no luck at all. The Rockford native and Brewers minor league pitcher twice had surgery for a torn tendon on the middle finger of his pitching hand. That was in 2007.
Now he's trying to bounce back from another challenging injury, a torn ligament in his pitching elbow. The injury happened last spring. Scarpetta underwent Tommy John surgery last May to have the ligament replaced with another ligament taken from his achilles. Scarpetta spent all last year and all winter in Arizona rehabbling. He says so far, so good.
"It's been a long process, but it seems to be going pretty well," said Scarpetta in a phone interview with WTVO. "I haven't had any major setbacks."
Scarpetta has been throwing off a mound at about 70 percent velocity.
"I can tell you the ball is coming out nice. It seems like it's starting to feel more like normal," said Scarpetta.
Ironically this injury is the same one that ended the pro baseball career of Cody's father Dan when he was a pitcher in the minors in the '80s.
"Back then that type of surgery was more of a major deal," said Cody Scarpetta. "He elected not to have the surgery."
These days Tommy John surgery is routine. A number of pitchers have bouned back from it. Scarpetta hoopes to one day again be able to throw his fastball in the mid to upper 90s like he did before when the Brewers made him a third round draft pick.
"I was told if there was no setback the middle of March in spring training games is when I'll be able to make my first game appearance," said Scarpetta.
Scarpetta also says that he hasn't been told to change his pitching mechanics to take strain off his elbow. "I'm a big believer in at this level you throw the way you do for a reason. When you get messing with mechanics it messes with other things too. Right now I'm doing what feels good for me, and it seems to be working out well."
Scarpetta last pitched in 2011 for the Brewers AA team in Huntsville, Alabama. He says he could remain in Arizona for extended spring training when the regular season opens. He's not sure where he'll be assigned at this point.
Now he's trying to bounce back from another challenging injury, a torn ligament in his pitching elbow. The injury happened last spring. Scarpetta underwent Tommy John surgery last May to have the ligament replaced with another ligament taken from his achilles. Scarpetta spent all last year and all winter in Arizona rehabbling. He says so far, so good.
"It's been a long process, but it seems to be going pretty well," said Scarpetta in a phone interview with WTVO. "I haven't had any major setbacks."
Scarpetta has been throwing off a mound at about 70 percent velocity.
"I can tell you the ball is coming out nice. It seems like it's starting to feel more like normal," said Scarpetta.
Ironically this injury is the same one that ended the pro baseball career of Cody's father Dan when he was a pitcher in the minors in the '80s.
"Back then that type of surgery was more of a major deal," said Cody Scarpetta. "He elected not to have the surgery."
These days Tommy John surgery is routine. A number of pitchers have bouned back from it. Scarpetta hoopes to one day again be able to throw his fastball in the mid to upper 90s like he did before when the Brewers made him a third round draft pick.
"I was told if there was no setback the middle of March in spring training games is when I'll be able to make my first game appearance," said Scarpetta.
Scarpetta also says that he hasn't been told to change his pitching mechanics to take strain off his elbow. "I'm a big believer in at this level you throw the way you do for a reason. When you get messing with mechanics it messes with other things too. Right now I'm doing what feels good for me, and it seems to be working out well."
Scarpetta last pitched in 2011 for the Brewers AA team in Huntsville, Alabama. He says he could remain in Arizona for extended spring training when the regular season opens. He's not sure where he'll be assigned at this point.
